Still regarded by many experts as the best European racehorse of the 20thcentury, Sea-Bird took both the 1965 Derby Stakes and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe with breathtaking ease against opposition that in other years would have been thought very good horses indeed. His only career loss in eight starts was to the quicker-maturing Grey Dawn II (ironically, a stablemate of his) as a juvenile. As a stallion, he might have done better had he stayed in Europe, where his proclivity for siring grass runners would have been much more appreciated; perhaps without the stress of transatlantic shipping, he might also never have developed the colitis that killed him at the regrettably early age of 11. Nonetheless, he did very well in the United States, and he sired one runner whose ability approached his own in the great mare Allez France.

Rated at 145 pounds by Timeform as a 3-year-old, the highest Timeform rating assigned to any horse in the 20th century.

Rated 9 pounds superior to his closest rival on the Handicap Optional for French runners aged 3 and up in 1965.

In their book A Century of Champions(1999, Portway Press, Ltd), British experts John Randall and Tony Morris rated Sea-Bird as the best European racehorse of the 20th century and as the best international racehorse of the 20th century, one pound ahead of Secretariat in the latter rating.

As an individual

A plain, leggy chestnut horse, Sea-Bird had good overall conformation with exceptionally strong, muscular hindquarters. He was rather backward as a youngster and improved greatly from 2 to 3. He had a habit of breaking slowly as a 2-year-old. As a 3-year-old, he displayed a tremendous turn of foot. He was nervous and inclined to sweat up before his races.

As a stallion

Sea-Bird was runner-up on the French general sire list in 1973 and 1974, was sixth in 1970 and was eighth in 1975. He was also third on the French broodmare sire list in 1981 and sixth in 1982. According to records kept by The Jockey Club, Sea-Bird sired 130 winners (74.3%) and 33 stakes winners (18.9%) from 175 named foals. Most of his progeny preferred turf and stayed well. Sea-Bird is a Solid chef-de-race in the Roman dosage system.

Foaled at Haras de Victot, Sea-Bird was bred and owned by Jean Ternynck. He was trained by Etienne Pollet. Following his retirement from racing, he was imported to the United States under a 5-year lease to John Galbreath of Darby Dan Farm in 1965 at a reported cost of US$1.35 million. After two one-year extensions of the lease, Sea-Bird returned to France following the 1972 breeding season but developed colitis and died in April 1973 after serving only a few mares in Europe.

Pedigree notes

Sea-Bird is outcrossed through five generations but is the produce of two inbred parents as his sire, multiple French stakes winner and 1959 Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby) runner-up Dan Cupid, is 4x2 to two-time American champion sire Sickle and his dam Sicalade is 5x5 to three-time French champion sire Rabelais. Sicalade failed to win and produced only two other foals, neither of much distinction, before being put down due to injuries caused by a kick from another horse.

Sicalade's dam Marmelade (by 1940 Grand Prix de Paris winner Maurepas) was also a non-winner but was a fullsister to 1950 One Thousand Guineas winner Camaree and to 1949 Prix de Malleret winner Camargue, dam of 1958 Prix de Royallieu winner Dalaba (by 1941 Derby Stakes winner Owen Tudor). Marmelade is also a half sister to stakes-placed Grandeur (by 1937 St. James's Palace Stakes winner Goya II), second dam of French Group II winner Gracias and multiple French Group III winner Gramy.

The next dam in Sea-Bird's tail-female line, Couleur, was by 1926 Prix Royal-Oak (French St. Leger) and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Biribi but scored her only win over hurdles. At that, she was a better racer than her dam Colour Bar (by 1926 Two Thousand Guineas winner Colorado), who could not win until she had been dropped into Pony Club races. Nonetheless, Colour Bar was a decent broodmare who produced 1938 Woodcote Stakes winner Quarteroon and 1939 Grand Criterium d'Ostende winner Tetrabar (both by 1920 Two Thousand Guineas winner Tetratema) before disappearing during World War II.

Fun facts

Registered as Sea-Bird in his native France, the horse was known as “Sea Bird II” in both England and the United States.

Sea-Bird's Timeform rating of 145 pounds was not surpassed until 2012, when the unbeaten champion Frankel earned a rating of 147 pounds after a superb performance in the Queen Anne Stakes (ENG-I).